De Villiers picks on form

28 May 2008 16:50pm

By Westgate

New Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has gone for form over reputation b y selecting four uncapped players in his 30-man squad to face Wales next week.

With a year to go until the world champions welcome the 2009 British & Irish Lions, de Villiers has proved he is prepared to make tough calls by leaving World Cup winner JP Pietersen out of his first squad.

Among the four uncapped players drafted in to face the 2008 Grand Slam champions are two Zimbabwean props, Tendai Mtawarira and Brian Mujati. They, along with wing Tonderai Chavhanga, all qualify to play for the Springboks through South African residency.

Sharks lock Andries Bekker and Sharks wing Odwa Ndungane are the other new faces in a squad that includes 11 coloured players.

"The squad was picked entirely on merit and every player named deserves his spot. I congratulate them all and look forward to the challenges of Wales and Italy that are now upon us," said de Villiers of his first test squad.

"I don't know how many players of colour we've chosen and I don't care. It wasn't easy cutting down the squad to 30, and that is how it should always be.

"A lot of guys put up their hands and I want to make it clear that the Springbok door is not shut to anyone.

The number is five more than were included in the 2007 World Cup winning squad.

De Villiers has also had his back room staff beefed up by the addition of National Teams Manager Andy Marinos and Anne-lee Murray. Former Wales centre Marinos has been seconded for the short-term, while Murray will become a full-time administration co-ordinator.

Ryan Grant displayed some impressive singing skills while on tour with the British & Irish Lions. The full release of Lions Raw will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray from October 28th. Pre-order on Amazon.

This clip featuring Simon Zebo will whet your appetite ahead of the much anticipated release of 'Lions Raw', the official Behind the Scenes documentary of the successful 2013 Tour. Full release on October 28th and available on DVD and Blu-Ray.